The MCU‘s Multiverse Saga hasn’t quite lived up to the immense quality of the Infinity Saga, but it has had some really cool moments — even if one choice in particular has made what would have been an awesome crossover functionally impossible. Of the various MCU movies and TV shows that have visited other realities, one of the most prominent is 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Director Sam Raimi took Benedict Cumberbatch’s title character through various parallel dimensions, resulting in some pretty unconventional moments, even by the MCU’s standards.
Each Marvel universe, regardless of the medium in which the story is being told, is assigned a designation that’s often made up of a string of numbers. For example, the X-Men movies take place on Earth-10005, and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man calls Earth-96283 home. Similarly, Insomniac’s Marvel game series, which will introduce Wolverine to its lineup of heroes and villains, is set on Earth-1048. So, this isn’t something that’s just limited to movies and TV shows. These alternate realities generally have a unique designation that, in theory, is easy to avoid duplicating. That said, Multiverse of Madness has already doubled up in a really frustrating way.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Labeled the MCU’s Primary Setting as Earth-616
Earth-616 Is Already Used in Marvel Comics
Doctor Strange travels through many universes in the second movie to bear his name, but he spends more time in one than in most of the others. On Earth-838, where the native Strange had already perished, Cumberbatch’s character meets an alternate version of former love interest Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). This version of Christine is a multiverse specialist and informs Doctor Strange (and the audience) that his universe has been designated 616. To more casual MCU fans, this probably wouldn’t elicit much of a reaction other than vague interest, but those more well-versed in larger Marvel lore were immediately confused or annoyed.
Initially, and for a long time, the MCU was given the multiversal designation of 199999. It wasn’t a commonly mentioned thing before the multiverse saga, but it was canon. It was even referenced on-screen in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which acknowledges several other realities. While 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home saw Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) refer to the MCU’s main reality as Earth-616, this was ultimately proven to be part of the villain’s ruse as he tried to convince everyone he was from another universe.
In Far From Home, it felt like a cool little Easter egg for a very specific reason. Earth-616 has long been established as the setting for Marvel Comics’ most renowned run, which has been active for decades. So, although Mysterio’s claims ruffled some fans’ feathers, the wider lore remained undamaged after the reveal that Gyllenhaal’s character was deceiving everyone to make himself look like a hero. Three years later, Multiverse of Madness came along and did the same thing again, only this time it didn’t reverse course. Now, what was once referred to as Universe-199999 is now also canonically called Universe-616, making it the second 616 in the Marvel multiverse.
This could easily be explained by the possibility that 838’s Christine chose her own label for the MCU’s main setting, and that it just happened to coincide with the Earth-616 that’s long been established in the comics. Accepting this as headcanon is messy, particularly since no other Marvel reality has duplicated designations. Instead, it’s more likely to be a real-world rebranding effort, as Earth-199999 is admittedly a little unwieldy to say in general conversation. Still, it’s tough to see why Earth-616 was chosen as a replacement when an incredibly high-profile 616 already exists.
Marvel’s Decision To Rebrand Earth-199999 Makes ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ a Little Less Exciting
There was a time in the MCU when certain Marvel realities were out of bounds for legal reasons. For example, Fox held the movie rights to the X-Men, and so a crossover that would bring someone like Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man into the same movie as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine just wasn’t a possibility. Of course, Disney solved that particular problem by simply purchasing Fox, so crossovers like that can now happen. Furthermore, the Spider-Verse movies have proven that Marvel characters from other media, such as video games and animated projects, can also appear in other settings. Across the Spider-Verse, in particular, was notorious for making full use of this quirk.
As such, the door is open for characters from the comic book Earth-616 to make their way into on-screen Marvel projects, which would be a fantastic moment for fans of the decades-long saga. Avengers: Doomsday is set to be a gargantuan cinematic multiversal event spanning decades of lore, but naming the MCU Earth-616 as well makes it seem like Disney doesn’t plan to acknowledge the original Earth-616 from the comics. The cinematic universe has undoubtedly eclipsed the popularity of the comics, so while it’s not surprising that the two properties won’t cross over, it’s especially disappointing that all signs now point to a functional refusal to do so.
It could be argued that it would be difficult for both versions of Earth-616 to ever collide because of the difference in medium. The beauty of the comics is that the story is told in static panels, and adding any live-action or animated elements to the saga could taint its legacy. Still, projects like What If, Multiverse of Madness, and the Spider-Verse movies have already proven that live-action and animated Marvel universes can collide while preserving everyone’s integrity and visual aesthetic. It remains to be seen if the MCU will ever allow this to happen with Earth-616 and the Earth formerly known as 199999, but it’s not looking likely.